UK local authorities are failing to protect sensitive data

New research claims that local authorities across the UK are failing to protect sensitive data effectively.

According to integrated managed data services provider Six Degress Group (6DG), there is a "significant gap" in data security protection within local councils, with 55 per cent reporting breaches of "OFFICIAL" data in the last two years.

The company sent a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the country's 433 local government bodies and found that 60 per cent of those which responded did not know how much official data they hold or where such information is kept.

One authority even admitted to experiencing 213 data breaches in just a two year period.

Over the two year period that the firm investigated, 34 per cent of councils surveyed said they had not experienced a data breach, but it still believes the results indicate a lack of comprehensive knowledge od data protection and security risks.

The local authorities also revealed that local government bodies are unable to report on how much sensitive data they hold and 66 per cent are unsure of how to manage their official data under new CESG official security classification guidelines.

While most were unable to explain where their official data is held, 2 per cent did say such information was held in the cloud, while 37 per cent said the majority of data was stored "on site."

Authorities Unaware Of Their Own Situation

"We see less than half of [local authorities] classify their data to an officially recognised standard and have regular audits in place to protect their data; this small percentage appears to be in a reasonable position as they aren't suffering data breaches," claimed Williams.

"The rest are struggling - breaches are commonplace - and what is equally as worrying is the serious lack of insight they have into their own situation. These authorities need to act very quickly or more sensitive public data will be lost to potentially criminal sources," he added.